1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to building construction and, more particularly, to a spacer used to secure a ledger board distally with respect to a member of a structure that the deck is attached to.
When a deck is attached to a structure (i.e., a house), a supporting member (i.e., a ledger board) is attached to the house so that it is parallel with the structure. Joist hangers are typically attached to the ledger in spaced apart intervals, often at every sixteen or twenty-four inches. The joist hangers are used to hold one end each of a plurality of joists that extend away from the structure. The remaining opposite end of each joist is secured in any of a variety of well known ways. A decking material is then placed over the joists to provide a functional exterior deck surface.
The ledger is responsible for supporting the weight of one end of the deck and of securing that end to the structure.
The ledger cannot be attached directly to the structure because if it were so attached, water and debris would accumulate on top which would then hasten deterioration of the ledger board and also possibly damage the structure. Therefore, architects specify attaching the ledger board to the structure in ways that secure the ledger board away from the structure by an amount that typically is not less than one-quarter of an inch nor more than about one inch. This secures the deck to the structure, yet it prevents damage to the deck from the accumulation of water and debris.
As one of the most commonly specified ways of attaching the ledger to the structure is by the use of a plurality of bolts that pass through the ledger and the structure, most architects specify the use of a plurality of washers or shims that are disposed intermediate the ledger board and the structure through which each bolt then passes and is eventually tightened.
In actual use this is most difficult to accomplish. It is time consuming, even frustrating, to align the ledger board properly with respect to the structure, drill a plurality of holes at the proper locations along the ledger and through the structure, and then pass bolts through the outside of the ledger at each drilled location while also adding a specified number of washers (to obtain a desired spacing) over the end of each bolt intermediate the ledger and the structure.
The ends of the bolts are difficult to access to place the washers on and once this is accomplished the washers are apt to fall off the bolts before the bolts are aligned with and can enter into the drilled holes in the structure. The process of attaching a ledger to a structure in a spaced-apart configuration is a difficult and time consuming process. It also requires the presence of one or two helpers, therefore adding to the labor costs.
Also, beveled siding is often used on an exterior surface of a structure. The beveled siding provides an angle that is difficult to match. Depending on the location of the beveled siding that the ledger board is attached to, the distance varies from the beveled siding to a parallel and plumb ledger board. To date, there is no way to accommodate the angle of the beveled siding and no known way to accommodate the variation in depth other than by varying the number of washers that are used.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for an architectural deck spacer that helps overcome these problems and an accompanying method of attaching a ledger board to a structure.
Clearly, such an apparatus and method would be useful and desirable.
2. Description of Prior Art
Deck attachment devices are, in general, known. For example, the following patents describe various types of these devices:                U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,552 to Bourque, Jun. 4, 2002;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,156 to Newman, Apr. 13, 1993;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,358 to Stratton, Oct. 22, 1991; and        U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,339 to Jewell, Sep. 4, 1990.        
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, may have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.